Safety fears after A346 death crash of Marlborough man

Concerns have been raised over safety on the A346 after a 75-year-old Marlborough man was killed in a crash last Thursday.

The man was driving a white Toyota Yaris, which collided with a tipper lorry between Ogbourne St George and Chiseldon.

Police, paramedics and fire crews were called to the scene at 3.30pm by a member of the public, where the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the lorry was treated for minor injuries at the scene. The accident caused huge tailbacks towards Marlborough and towards the M4 and Swindon.

Jemima Milton, Wiltshire councillor for West Selkley, said the stretch of road is an ongoing problem.

“I know that this road has been an issue for some time and I feel desperately and sorry for the chap’s family and friends,” she said. “The council is aware that this road causes problems and they have looked at what can be done with it before.

“But there is very little that can be done apart from making it into a dual carriageway because of the hidden dips.

“I don’t know what happened in this instance, but often drivers try to overtake and they don’t see the oncoming car because they are hidden.”

There have been a number of fatal crashes over the years.

Commuter Douglas Foster said: “It’s very sad that this has happened but the whole road needs improving.

“I drive along it almost every day and it’s dangerous, there are always near-misses.

“A lot of the time there are drivers going about 80mph and overtaking when they can’t see what is coming.”

The road was closed for several hours while the vehicles were removed and police investigated.

Rosie O’Keefe, who owns Dukesmead Kennels on the A346, said: “There are always accidents on this road.

“I was out at the time and it took me an hour-and-a-half to get back because I had to go all around the village like most people did.

“I’ve asked the council before if I could put a sign up to say there is a concealed entrance but they said no because there are enough signs on the road already and people don’t take any notice, so I asked if there could be a mirror put on the other side of the road and they said no to that too.”

A post-mortem examination has been carried out and a formal identification of the driver will take place on Monday.